Bond of Frienship - Book One of The Road to Corus
by Cezium
Summary: Co-written with Writer Chick, this has to do with a Rider trainee and first year Squire trying to make their way in life. The Road to Corus starts out with its first book, giving a basic start to their new lives.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note - Oi, just to tell you all, this is a co-written fic. I wrote it with my friend Writer Chick. I wrote the part of Kydd, while she did Lyna. Enjoy!  
  
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"Ooh. New trainees for the Queen's Riders arrive today," Douglass commented, looking to his squire.  
  
The fifteen-year-old boy leaned against the fence, peering out at the girls in the group with interest. Pale green eyes glittered as he grinned. "I hope we get some fine looking girls this time around!" He whistled.  
  
The Knight Master whacked him on the head. "Behave, boy," he commanded sternly. His squire, Kydd, just grinned impudently up at him.  
  
Douglass sighed, ruffling the boy's dirty blonde hair. "You scamp..." he muttered, turning away from the trainees.  
  
"I'm gonna stay here and watch the old Riders," announced Kydd, who was still staring.  
  
"Fine," replied Douglass, "just meet me for lunch. Buri wants us and a couple others to start teaching the new trainees archery. " He paused as Kydd let out a cheer, then continued with a sly grin. "But you are going to help the male trainees!" He laughed at Kydd's disappointed groan.  
  
"Remember, lunch!" Douglass warned, pointing a finger. Kydd waved it off with a flick of his hand.  
  
"Yup. Lunch. Got it." The boy responded distantly with a grin, staring out at the girls.  
  
With a sigh and a shake of his head, the Knight from Veldine walked off.  
  
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Lyna of the House of Gothlen looked at the short woman in front of her.   
  
"Do you understand? The life as a Rider is not easy. Life as a trainee is even harder. You know what happens during training, but if you make it through, you'll be put on probation for a year and then permanently signed to a Rider Group. Can you do this?" Commander Buri told the perspective Rider.  
  
"Yes'm," Lyna bobbed her head.  
  
"Now then, put your stuff in the Girls' bunks and meet the everyone else out in the unused horse pasture," Buri nodded her head towards the young girl and headed out to the pasture.  
  
Lyna stepped into the bunkroom and selected a bed in the corner. Tossing her bag onto the bed, she gently placed another package next to the bag. Letting out the intricate plait. Brushing through her thick black hair with her fingers, Lyna quickly put it into two braids hanging down her back.  
  
She jogged out to the large grassy field where the trainees had all assembled, the groups seemed to be split up into two—old and new.  
  
"Okay trainees, time to stop sitting around and doing nothing. We'll start training, and if you think that's hard, wait until the Horse Mistress comes, then we'll all see whose really cut out for this," a large black man grinned devilishly.  
  
Lyna's ears picked up several audible gulps, including her own. Somehow this idea of joining the Queen's Riders wasn't turning out to be one of the best she had come up with.  
  
"Now then, older trainees, go over there," Buri pointed to the left of the pasture, near the stables, "and split up into your groups." Several people moved off knowing what to do. "You, you, you, you, you and you. Go over to Sir Douglass and his squire, you'll be practicing archery with them. We'll be very impressed if you can hit the target, let alone get a bulls eye," Buri selected Lyna along with five others and pointed to where the knight and his squire were standing.  
  
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After lunch the two set back out to the field, Douglass using the gate and Kydd deftly jumping over the fence. The new trainees were just starting to gather. Kydd choked back a laugh, noticing Serge, a Rider, standing menacingly in front of him. The boy looked over to his Knight Master, catching the amused glint in his eyes.  
  
The two stood there while Buri gave out instructions. Six people his age walked over to them. It was an even split: three girls, three guys. Kydd quickly looked over the females, expression temperate. The first was a small, meek girl with brown haircut up to her ears. Her doe-like eyes stared at the ground, too afraid to look up. The second was a red headed girl who stood with an air of self-confidence. She smiled brightly, and slightly raised her eyebrows when she noticed Kydd's stare. With a blink, he turned to the last. This girl had black hair separated in two braids. She looked somewhat nervous, but tried to hide it. She looked at the two with mild interest, hands fidgeting behind her back. Kydd caught her navy blue eyes, and felt as if he was going to melt. He shook his head as if to clear it, and looked to his Knight Master.  
  
"You three go with Kydd," he told them, earning a glare from the squire. Kydd stepped towards them, motioning for them to follow. He led the way to the other side of the archery field. "Okay... You there," he pointed to the first target. "You there...and you there." He pointed and instructed in turn.  
  
A short, brunette boy exclaimed, "We have names, you know!"  
  
Kydd couldn't help but grin, and rolled his eyes at the boy his age. This kid's got balls, he thought. "I'm sure you do, and I'm sure they're nice names...but do I care?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked. Looking over to his Knight Master and noticing him started, he did the same.  
  
"So, any of you boys archers here?" He inquired, looking them over. The brown-haired youth stepped forward. "You?" Kydd pointed to the boy.  
  
"My name is Eric," he stressed, "and my older brother is a knight. He taught me archery," the boy was at least half a foot shorter than Kydd, with golden skin and eyes the same color as his hair.  
  
"Well, then, little man, go and get a bow!" Kydd exclaimed, and turned to the others. "Either one of you ever pick up a bow?" They just stared at him blankly.  
  
Kydd gave an exasperated sigh, cradling his head in a hand. This was going to be a long session!  
  
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"You three go with Kydd," Sir Douglass instructed the three boys of the group, pointing to the dirty blonde youth. Lyna couldn't help but notice the small glare Kydd inflicted on his knightmaster.  
  
The four walked to the other side of the archery area. "Okay you there, you there, and you there," Kydd instructed. Sir Douglass, Lyna and the other two watched in interest.  
  
"We have names you know!" a brown haired teen exclaimed.  
  
Kydd rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you do…and I'm sure they're very nice names…but I don't care," he smirked.  
  
That's when Sir Douglass sighed and turned away from his squire and to the three females that stood in front of him. "Okay do any of you know how to use and string a bow?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Two of the girls raised their hands, Lyna was one of them. "Okay then, out of ten, how many arrows hit the target?"  
  
The other girl, a red head with blue eyes and a small nose shrugged, "Four or five out of ten."  
  
Everyone looked at Lyna expectantly, "Seven out of ten on a good day. If the target is moving, maybe five out of ten on a good day?" Everyone just looked at her and she shrugged, "My brother enjoyed hunting, he often took me along."  
  
Sir Douglass looked perplexed for a second but he just told the other girl and Lyna to select a bow from the pile and start to practice. Lyna tried to use the bow, but she soon four it too light. Finally, after aiming incorrectly several times, Lyna built up the courage to ask the knight if it would be possible if she would be able to use her own bow.  
  
With permission granted, she sprinted back to the females' bunkroom and drew out her most prized possession, her bow. Jogging back out again she was careful not to hug the weapon too close…this could kill, in more ways than one.  
  
  
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Disclaimer: Writer Chick and I do not claim to own any character that you may recognize in this piece of work. We both are members of Sheros.com and we would not do anything that would take money out of Tammy's pocket and cause her not to write. We love you Tammy (and Tim our Admin)! We do own Eric, Kydd, Lyna...and a bunch of over people whom you will be seeing in later chapters!   
  
  



	2. --------Interlude

"So, anyone one of your group have talent?" Douglass asked his Squire, stretching.   
  
Kydd snorted, taking off his tunic. He had on sturdy leather boots, a pair of brown leather pants, and a loose cream-colored shirt tucked into it. His sword-belt hung at his side, the blade it carried sheathed. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a thong. "I'm guessing that implied you didn't have much luck?"  
  
The Knight Master gave a small shrug.  
  
"Well, this one cocky kid, Eric," Kydd stressed with a wicked grin, "is a natural. He hit the bull's eye seven-out-of-ten times, and the rest were close. The other two were raw beginners, though. I think the tall boy has some talent, though. He caught on quickly. So, how 'bout you?"  
  
Somewhat shocked, Douglass picked up his sword and buckled it to his belt. "That boy sounds pretty impressive. I had two who knew how to shoot. One of them was all right, while the other was great. She's another one with natural talent."  
  
"Hmm..." Kydd mumbled, stepping into the dueling ring. "Do you want me to take her and my boy for more advance archery training?"  
  
The knight considered this as he also stepped into the ring. "That might be a good idea. I'll ask Buri about it when she returns."  
  
Grinning, Douglass drew his sword. "Time to fight, boy."   
  
Kydd did the same, stepping up to meet him. They both saluted each other, and began the match.  
  
Douglass lunged forward, slicing down. His squire sidestepped the move, quickly countering with a jab of his blade. The knight brought his sword up, deflecting the hit. He broke back, and the two circled. Kydd grinned wickedly, shooting out a comment.  
  
"You're loosing your touch, old man!"  
  
His Knight Master chuckled, not responding. He was ready when Kydd jumped at him, slashing in an upward arch at the man's shoulder. He stepped back, letting the blade slice into open air, then charged at his squire, thrusting out his blade. Kydd attempted to whirl out of harm's way, but was caught in the side. The dull practice sword ripped his shirt, and scratched the skin. A few drops of blood leaked out.  
  
"First blood," panted Douglass, "I guess I'm not as old as you think."  
  
With a sigh, Kydd shrugged and walked out of the ring, chucking his practice sword into a pile. "I guess not," he replied, fetching a bandage from a rack. He shed his shirt and opened up a jar of numbing salve and slathered the cream over his cut. With a deftness that comes from much practice, the boy wrapped a bit of bandage around his middle.  
  
Douglass looked somewhat smug as he walked out of the ring, shedding his sword. "For all you're the best archer amongst the squires, you still have much to learn when it comes to swordplay."  
  
Shrugging, Kydd threw his shirt back on, making a half-caring attempt to tuck it in. "At least I'm the best at something."  
  
"You go get some food and then get back to your room. I'm going to go...freshen up," said Douglass, straitening his messy hair up a bit.  
  
"Fine," replied Kydd, "I'll meet you back in our rooms." 


	3. Chapter 2

Sitting in a corner of the room where all the trainees gathered for meals and so forth, Lyna massaged her ankle. Since she had been riding yesterday, she thought she might have sprained it. Making sure no one was looking, Lyna let a bit of the metallic-blue of her gift surround the injured ankle.  
  
"You're not supposed to use your gift without permission," a cocky voice stated. Looking up, Lyna saw Eric, one of the boys in her group.  
  
"Well, nah...until I'm told I can't, I will," Lyna shrugged, but the color of her gift slowly faded from sight.  
  
"Okay," there was a lull in the conversation until Eric brought up archery.  
  
Then Lyna was animated. She talked and talked about her brother had often taken her hunting when he had the chance to hunt himself. Lyna talked and talked about Port Legann, her home and the home of her mother's family, in the fief known as Harvest Valley.  
  
"Where did you get the bow? It was pretty impressive," Eric remarked and whistled. Again Lyna shrugged.  
  
"It was in its half state. It's great when it has its blades. When I finally mastered my weapon, lets just say none of the local ruffians wanted to be near me while I had it hand," she smirked, remembering some of the better memories of the past months.  
  
"Well, I have to go Lyna, but I want you to know this: stay away from the squires. Many of them go through pretty girls like we go through arrows. Be careful. You're too nice to be hurt," he told the girl he had been sitting with.  
  
She shrugged yet again, replying "I can handle myself." Lyna nodded to Eric and watched him leave.  
  
Lyna was so wrapped up in her thoughts about the conversation that she had with Eric, she didn't notice a short girl with cropped black hair standing right in front of her."Um, hi," the girl said in a mousy voice. "Is anyone sitting here?"  
  
Lyna looked up quickly, "Oh no, sit down if you want."  
  
"Thank you. My name is Jaelyn," the girl's voice was so quiet, Lyna had to strain to hear it.  
  
"Lyna. I'm from Port Legann...you?" Lyna cocked her head to the side.  
  
"Corus, grew up in the city," again the other girl spoke softly.  
  
"That's nice. I grew up in Legann. My family is the merchant family Gothlen, and we mostly buy and sell candles. We get them from all over the Inland Sea! The ones from Scanra burn the longest, but the ones from Carthak smell the best. I hear they have mages working on new scents. That's going to cost the House a pretty penny," Lyna rambled on, Jaelyn just starred at the friendly girl. "Oh, am I talking to much?" Lyna blushed.  
  
"Just a wee bit," Jaelyn held her fingers apart just a bit. With that motion, Lyna grew even a darker pink.  
  
"Aww isn't that cute, a new trainee is blushing. Better not let some of the squires see you, they'll be on you like a dog on meat," a passing trainee sneered. He was one of the older ones, and looked to be around 20. Lyna was up in an instant, her eyes dark eyes even darker with anger.  
  
"Listen and listen good," Lyna's face was inches away from the other trainee's, "squires are just as good as the rest of us. So unless you feel that you need someone to give you a decent shiner, you'll leave me alone!" With that she blinked and looked away, her spell broken.  
  
"Touchy, touchy," was all Lyna heard as she sat down and the others walked away.  
  
"Wow," was all Jaelyn said.  
  
"My godfather is a knight, and went through being a squire with no problems. He doesn't have any bastard children that I know of. I take it personally when someone insults pages, squires or knights. They are all of higher ranking too, but many riders don't seem to understand that. I just make them understand." Lyna shrugged and looked at the bowl of beef stew that sat in front of her.   
  
"I hope it's not cold," she remarked and dug in.  
  
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"Have a good time teaching the Riders?" Whispered a voice from the shadows. Kydd jumped, and turned to face a pale youth who was at least half a foot taller than him.  
  
"Don't DO that!" He exclaimed, then sighed. "It was...painful. There was only one who knew how to use a bow."  
  
The tall boy had dark, black hair which he wore long and tied back. He was fine boned, with eyes of a dark brown shade that all-in-all made him look quite handsome. He didn't have a Knight Master as of yet. In fact, Kydd was one of the only new squires that had one.  
  
Raist chuckled, and ruffled the shorter boy's hair. "Your hair's getting long. I thought you hated long hair?"  
  
Kydd brushed his friends hand away with annoyance and started back on his way. "Eh. I'll cut it eventually."  
  
Raist followed the boy, grinning like a hyena. "A bunch of squire-less knights are coming back from border patrol within the week. I'll have a Knight Master before you can count to ten."  
  
"1...2...3...4...5..." Kydd started, but got a whack from his friend.   
  
"Hush, you," Raist said sternly, glaring.  
  
With a chuckle, Kydd made his way into the mess hall and winced at the noise. He motioned for another friend to save him a seat while he served himself a bowl of a heavily seasoned vegetable soup, two rolls, and a few slices of meat. He hopped into his seat and poured himself a cup of a sweet, reddish drink that was available. Raist sat down in-between him and a Bahzir squire.   
  
Kydd licked his lips before tearing into a roll. "Mmph. Dis iph gooh" He said, mouth full. The boys around him sighed and shook their heads. He swallowed and let out a sigh of contentment.   
  
"You're going to choke if you keep eating like that," the Bahzir commented.  
  
Kydd shot him a glare and took another mouthful. When he swallowed this, he replied, "I will _not_ choke, Qazair."  
  
Qazair ibn Zahaiq just shook his head.  
  
"So," Kydd said between mouthfuls, "where is your Knight Master going to be assigned this year?"  
  
Qazair brightened considerably. "My Lord is posted at Persopolas."  
  
The boys around them nearly choked. Raist was the first to recover. "You're so lucky! With my luck, I'll be posted somewhere out in nowhere"  
  
While Qazair grinned, Kydd smiled slyly when he swallowed another bit of food. "My Lord and I will be in the Grimhold Mountains, at fief Grimhold. Scanran raiders have been acting up, and the fort up there has been having some trouble protecting their isolated villages. The Rider trainees are also going there for the summer. We're gonna head up with them and a few other knights, and hang around Corus until it's time to go. There are already a few knights stationed up there."  
  
Raist looked jealous. He eyes both of them, eating his food slowly and without interest. "I wonder when I shall get a Knight Master..."  
  
A few other squire's echoed that statement. Kydd shrugged and finished the last of his meal. "Ahh...That was good."He stood, patting his stomach.  
  
Raist grinned, still eating. "Are you up to going to the indoor practice courts for some archery practice?"  
  
Kydd shook his head, locks of dirty blond hair getting into his face. He brushed them back in annoyance. "Nope. Can't. I have to go back to my quarters for a lesson with My Lord. I believe we're going to start examining maps of the Grimhold Mountains."  
  
With a nod, Raist went back to his food. A dark skinned boy across from him piped in, "I'll go with you."  
  
The taller boy smiled, looking up. "Ok, Manderell."  
  
The archer-squire yawned, and stretched his arms like a cat. "Mmkies. I'm off. See you all in the morning."   
  
He left to the sounds of farewells.  
  



End file.
